5 Essential Phone Apps for Busy People

There are tons of articles about the best apps available for smart phones. I decided to take a different direction and stick with apps that I think people will actually use. All of these apps are extremely useful and most are free or cost less than $1.99. You can find all of these apps on your phone or on the Web at your phone’s App store:  Blackberry App World, the  iTunes App store, the Android Market and the Windows Marketplace.

See the light: Your phone as a flashlight

I’ve had many occasions where I wished I had a flashlight, and now I always do! These apps use the flash from your phone’s built-in camera and the backlight screen to give you light:

• Flashlight for iPhone is a great, free app by John Haney Software.
• Android offers a free app called Brightest Flashlight from Golden Shore Technologies.
• Magnesium One Touch Flashlight is one of Blackberry’s free flashlight programs.
• Magic Light by Graziano Definis is for Windows, and is $0.99. Windows has yet to offer free flashlight apps.

Calculating the tab and tip

Tip calculators will save you time and keep big dinner outings drama-free once the bill arrives. These apps calculate your tip percentage and divide it amongst the total number of people in your group.

• Tip Calculator, by ihandy.com, is one of many apps available for iPhone. Its $0.99. I recommend dishing out the dollar for this one, even though there are lots of free tip calculator apps for iPhone, because it’s so easy to use. Plus, it has nicer graphics.
• Tip N Split by Handy Apps is a free app for Android.
• Tip Calculator by SCANetworks is a free app for Blackberry.
• One of Windows phone tip calculators is by Harley Christensen and it’s only $0.99.

Finding your route

I’m what some may call “navigationally challenged”.  Sure, I can restore a corrupted Exchange database, but some days finding my way in and out of my own neighborhood is a challenge!

If you ever need to pinpoint your exact location or get directions, the Google Maps app can certainly help. That’s right; you don’t need to buy an expensive GPS device. You can download one for free right to your phone.

You can find the app in the Windows and Google app stores, but if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, you must visit Google from your phone’s Web browser, find Google Maps and download it directly from there. I found this difference intriguing, and considering the rivalry between Microsoft and Google, the fact that Microsoft had it in their app store while Apple and Blackberry didn’t, made me chuckle.

Sharing is caring, on your computer and phone

This program enables you to share files between computers and phones. You get up to 2 GB of storage for free and can upgrade to the premium service if you need more space. It runs in your system tray as a service.

Here’s how to get started and use it on your phone:

• Set up an account at dropbox.com.
• Download and install the program on your computer.
• A folder called Dropbox will appear on your desktop screen and you can place files you want to sync within it.
• Download the program from your phone’s respective app store.

By doing this, you’ll be able to share and sync photos, files or other media that’s on your computer with your phone.

There are versions of the app available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.  For Windows, you have to visit their app store and download the program dubbed DroppedBox. Then it will function like it does on all the other phones. This program is free, unless of course you need more than 2 GB of storage.

Free up your key ring and save money

You know all those stores that make you sign up for their rewards cards so that you can get discounts and score swag? Guess what? Thanks to the Cardstar app, you no longer have to carry all of them around any more. This wonderful program is available on all smartphones. To get started, you need to take a picture of your loyalty card’s barcode. Some popular stores have been programmed into the app already and you can add the rest. Stores can simply scan your card’s barcode from your phone. Even better, there is a section called “Deals” that shows you all sales going on at that store. So, now you can save even more money. Best of all, this app is FREE!

The #Backchannel goes mobile

This is a bonus app that only applies to Detroiters. WXYZ.com has a news app that I’ve found very helpful. You can follow everything from breaking news to weather, even school closings and traffic reports. It also has awesome weather maps that you can watch in real time. It’s available on Blackberry, Android and iPhone.